June News: Summer arrived…and so did the rain!

Building Houses (and Battling the Elements)

This month, five teams from Alabama, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Virginia prepped and built five houses in Reynosa, with another nine houses to be built next month. One of the teams who came this month was coming back for the first time since 2009, and it was wonderful to begin working with them again. Summer is our busy time of year, so that means lots of activities, excitement and blessings happening in our community.

One thing we weren’t expecting this summer was the estimated fifteen inches of rain we got within the span of a few days this month. Heavy rain in that short amount of time caused flooding on both sides of the border, and while our facilities in Reynosa and Miguel Alemán were not affected, many families we know had their houses flooded. We are going to be focused on how we can best help those families with long-term solutions, so stay tuned for how you can get involved. This week, the sun was back out, and the heat index was back above 105°F, so most of the water has thankfully dried out. Thank you for all of your prayers during that time!

A Visit from Deantin

Our founder and emeritus director Deantin Guerra visited Reynosa for a day this month! As you all know, Deantin was diagnosed this year with cancer and has been struggling with his health. He was able to visit for a day while his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were visiting with their church team from outside of Dallas. He visited with the team, staff and volunteers and led a couple of songs during the devotion service. We love every chance we get to have him here with us in Mexico!

Deantin and his wife Lidia are needing lots of prayers and support right now. Deantin will go this Tuesday for a follow-up after a procedure in April to treat the cancer. He should find out after that if the treatment did its job. In addition to your prayers, send Deantin a note or card to tell him you’re thinking of him! You can reach him by email at northside1@sbcglobal.net or by mail at PO Box 4413, Brownsville, TX 78523.

Summer Interns

This summer, we’ll have a total of NINE interns! That’s the most we’ve had since 2009, which is so exciting for us. This month, we’ve had four of those awesome interns – Victoria, Lexia, Luke and George – in Reynosa, coming to work with us from Texas, Indiana and Florida. They have been a huge blessing to our staff, translating and supervising teams, taking photos, and jumping in to help wherever needed. Plus, they’ve been having a blast hanging out (and even performing songs) with the church interns from Berea Bible Institute in Monterrey. Carlos has three student interns – Ivonn, Cristian and Esdras – helping him out for a month this summer with church activities. It’s been a joy to have our “volunteer quarters” in Reynosa buzzing with activity again!

Prayer Requests

We believe in the power of prayer, so please join us in praying for:

As we mentioned before, our founder Deantin needs prayers as he prepares for a follow-up appointment with his doctor regarding the cancer and the procedure he had to treat it. Pray for his health and for his wellbeing, as well as for his wife Lidia. Send him a note or a card to let him know you’re thinking of him! You can send by email at northside1@sbcglobal.net or by mail at PO Box 4413, Brownsville, TX 78523.

Dora, our caretaker in Reynosa, continues to recover from her fall in February. Her fractured wrist is taking a long time to heal, so pray for her as she continues physical therapy and treatment.

Ezequiel, our retired foreman, and his wife Petra, need our prayers. Petra is still struggling after a stroke a few months ago, and Ezequiel is her sole caretaker, while also dealing with his own health issues. Pray for her recovery and for him, that God might give them both strength and good health!

The families in Mexico are still recovering from the heavy rain and floods last week. Many families experienced damage to their houses, roofs, furniture, appliances and other belongings. Pray for them as they get back on their feet and pray that we might have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ to them in the best and most helpful way possible.